Across
by amputechture
Summary: An ex-gamer mysteriously delves into a strange yet familiar world. There she meets the familiar faces of a dashing woodelf, a quirky young nord, and a talking dragon. Trying to find a way to escape the fantasy world she once knew, she ends up helping the whole world in preparation for the coming of the Dragonborn.


**This is my first time writing a story here. I have a crappy vocabulary and i tend to repeat words and phrases over time, but am trying my very best to make the story sound good and capable. I apologize for any grammatical errors that I've missed, English isn't really my strong language. This is the first chapter of my story and I hope you guys would enjoy it.:) Also, i do not own Skyrim or any of the brands/labels mentioned in this story. **

* * *

"Great..."

She muttered as a mug of coffee spilled all over her architectural plates.

"This is just what i need..."

After all, she's only been doing this project for 3 sleepless weeks and it's due the next morning, by next morning meaning the next 4 hours.

"Screw this."

She surrenders as she walked out of the room and went out to the balcony to light a smoke. She quit smoking a few years back but completely forgot about the whole thought when she found a box abandoned by her previous dorm buddy. She takes comfort with a Marlboro and desperately needs it now given the situation. And besides, she was too tired to be hysterical. Moe has been studying architecture for 3 years, something that she's enjoying, or she thinks she's enjoying. Her father pushed her to become like himself, a good, dedicated architect, and as you can see, she's doing a really crappy job with it. As a child she dreamt of becoming an adventurer and desires to explore different worlds and dimensions. She was an avid gamer and movie addict and back then she took comfort in videogames and movies. Junior high came and then college, and one day she just realized that she was too old for a lot of things. She grew up and started thinking about her responsibilities and the more important things in life, and the difference between reality and fiction. Right now she's living on a boring city, surrounded by boring people (tho some of her friends are an exception) but somehow she likes it. Simply because its practical and its real. It's what life as it should be. Waking up in the morning, going to class, hanging with friends, studying and making some plates, sleeping at 3 am. That's her life. It wasn't perfect and nothing much is happening around her but having that makes her think that she's having a mature direction in life.

After finishing a stick, she went inside and looked at the coffee soaked blueprint. She rolled her eyes, went to the bathroom to get her hoodie and went out for a walk.

* * *

"That's one less skeever to deal with..."

He pulled his dwarven dagger from the dead animal's neck and wiped the blood with linen. He tucked the bloody rag on the side of an old nordic bookcase that was filled with cobwebs. He sheathed his blade and wiped his hands with another linen.

"Argh, how can you stand those things?"

A man behind him blurted out with disgust after slicing one of the pests down. He sheathed his steel blade without wiping.

"Erik my friend, that's just another day of glorious adventuring. This tiny creature is nothing but sweetroll compared to the foul beasts that awaits us on our upcoming adventures."

The other man says with full enthusiasm while wiping the remaining blood on his armor, w/c he got from a guy named Linwe after shutting him up for the guild.

"Yeah but...skeevers are..well, different. With their big eyes and tiny sharp claws...and ataxia."

"Haha! Then i suggest you change your name from Erik the Slayer to Erik the milk drinker!" The woodelf laughs, teasing his companion.

"Hey! Who you calling a milk drinker!? I'll single-handedly slay a dozen of those filthy creatures just to prove you wrong." the lad exclaims to his annoying companion.

"That's the spirit lad! You have to show these horse droppings who's boss. Don't show fear, they can smell it. And always have the grit to bash some heads, may it be a skeever's head, or a dragon's head. That's what true adventurers are. Brave and fearless." he says with a tone of encouragement as he grabs and pats his young companion on the shoulder followed by a brofist.

"Heh, i guess your right. I can handle this. After all, it's just a skeever, a furry, big eyed, filthy skeever..."

"Tell you what, after all this is over, we'd go over a tavern and get you some ale. Everything is on me, a celebration to your first successful, life threatening and ataxia-risking adventure to a nordic ruin. What do you say?"

The lad chuckled "Ha, i'm game! If it's on you, why not?"

"Come on. Let us see who among us can kill the most draugers. And remember, kick some balls."

* * *

She got some tracing paper, two bottles of milk, a Redbull, an egg sandwich and some essentials. She put them all in a basket and went to the counter to pay for them. She looked at the digital clock behind the clerk. It was 3:21 am. That means she only has 3 hours and 39 minutes to finish her 3 week project. She doesn't seem to worry about it. She tries not to. She trusts herself enough to know how she will all work this out. She went out of the store and walked her way back to the dormitory, only a couple of blocks away from 7-eleven. She grabbed the egg sandwich from the plastic bag and took one hefty bite from the succulent snack as she walks down the dim lit sidewalk. On the left side of the street is an old playground. She took some of her little time left to sit on the old swing. She looked above the night sky and watched the stars as they flicker on the ebony space. The sight never fails to amaze her. The "Tres Marias", as she would call the three stars aligned w/ each other, has once again caught her attention. It was a familiar sight to her , it was like a random encounter with an old friend on the subway station so she has took the interest to name the celestial body.

She gently pushed herself on the swing while she gulped down a bottle of milk. After she was done she stood up and threw the empty bottle and egg sandwich wrapper into the bin. Little did she knew that something extraordinary was about to happen. As she walks down on the foggy street, all of a sudden all lights mysteriously went off. Darkness shrouded the whole place. It was like a void, nothing but complete and total blackness. She put out her phone and shed some light around her. It only took a small portion of the blinding darkness but enough for her to see herself and the ground she's standing. She continued to walk wondering what must've happened.

_"Oh great, a power failure."_ she mutters with annoyance._  
_

Then she looked down and noticed she was walking on a different textured ground. It was rocky, uneven and moss covered most part of it. It was really strange how the ground suddenly shifted.

_"I don't recognize this part of the neighborhood.."_ she says to herself as she continued onward until a huge metal door stood in front of her.

"What is this?" she wondered. She tried to ignore it and went the other way but walls appeared mysteriously on both sides. It was like she was led into a dead end and it kept her from going anywhere else but on the other side of the strange door. In the back of her mind, she thought of turning back but out of her stubborn curiosity, she opened it and stepped forward to the other side of the unknown.

* * *

Clashing of swords can be heard in a distance. A rotting petrified corpse fell down on the rocky floor.

"That's 12." said the rugged, orange haired elf as he pulled down his hood and ran his fingers through his mid length, silky hair.

A draugr comes charging towards him. He calmy took a dwarven arrow from his quiver, aimed carefully with his bow, a gift from his pretty little nightingale friend, taking his time as he waited for the right moment to shoot. Finally he held out a whistle and took the release. The arrow landed just between the undead's eyes and the rotting corpse fell down dramatically on its moldy back.

"Unlucky 13." he mutters without excitement.

"I'm gonna kill you!" Just behind him is his young apprentice struggling to take a hit on his undead ancestor. The archer readied to save his little nord companion, took another arrow from his quiver and landed it behind the draugr's head.

"Thanks my friend, you just saved me from bad luck." says the vivacious elf as he helped his friend up.

"Glad i can be of assistance." The young nord says sarcastically while he adjusts and rotates his left shoulder.

"Oh, don't take it badly, 9's a good number. You did astounding for a beginner, friend. We can make a great adventurer out of you yet." A pat on the chest rewards the aspiring lad. He took pride of the compliment. Coming from someone like him, a well known and magnificent adventurer, was something special.

"Let's see if any of these corpses has anything of value in them. Always remember to loot anything that you kill. Who knows what you'll find something worth in their smelly bodies." He searched the decaying corpse and had his success as he examines the flawless amethyst in his hand. "Like this."

The young one does the same thing, hoping that his ancestors will forgive him for defiling their ancient bones. He got a small bag of gold and a charcoal. He pockets them with little pleasure.

"Done? Let's go." Both men went on.

They lockpicked a metal door and carefully swung it, partially opening, trying not to get any attention on what creatures might be on the other side.

"Argh, necromancers." The red haired nord muttered. "What are they doing here?"

The woodelf simply replied a gesture of silence to his curious companion and observes the evil magic wielders. He could make out about three of them plus four bandits. One of the necromancers who's probably the leader was doing some sort of ritual on an altar while the others watched. One of the bandits was standing next to an empty cage and the other was next to an alcove.

"Stay here and wait for my signal." he commanded the lad and slipped inside the door. He worked his way into the shadows, grabbed his blade and stabbed the guard next to the empty cage with guile and silence. The young nord watches and observes his master with an impressed look studying every move and approach, when he suddenly heard a small squeaking noise just behind him. He turned around and just saw the most adorable skeever that anyone has ever laid eyes on. The concentrating elf was about to strike the other bandit when he heard a brave battle cry from the strange lad.

"Yargh! I'll slay you you foul beast!" The young nord let out his steel blade as he aimlessly swing it on the speedy creature catching the attention of the whole Nirn and his ever so proud master couldn't help but facepalm on the situation.

* * *

The place was like some sort of cave with unusual carvings on the walls. A few candles light up the place some of them already burnt out. The place was dim and it smelled of dampness, rotting wood and the stone walls are covered with moss and reeking water ran through its notches. Cobwebs were in every corner and rotten paper and cloth were scattered all over. It reminded her of a scene from a 30's horror flick and she felt uneasy just standing in that place. She went back to the door and as she opened it she was greeted by an empty room.

_"What the.."_ She closes and opens the metal door again and in front of her was the same vacant space.

_"What the hell is happening." _She wonders as she observes the room.

She had no idea where she is and exactly how she got there, but the thought of no escape sends shivers down her spine.

_"Okay, this is just some one messed up dream... What the hell was in that egg sandwich?" _She thought_. _

Not leaving her with any other choice, she moved forward to the dark cave like structure. She took a turn as the path changes direction. From a distance, she could see light from the path and she could hear voices of what seems to be two men. She went closer to that path as the light got brighter and the voices got louder.

"I thought you were over with skeevers my friend." She heard the voice of the other man.

"I am..I just... can't stand them being so close." Said the other.

"Hah! You are are one jumpy lad. At least this whole experience will make a good drinking story when we get back." The other man said.

She took a peek on the other room and dead bodies and pools of blood greeted her to her horror. A hooded man walked across to her view. He knelt down next to a corpse and took the arrow sticking out from his head. He wiped the blood soaked arrow with a rag and put it back from his quiver.

"I think your forgetting something.." said the man teasingly.

"Oh, right.." and a tall red haired man showed up in front, just a couple of inches away from her, his back was turned to her relief. He knelt down and started searching the body that was close to where she was. At that moment she didn't know what to do on the situation. It was obvious to her that these men slaughtered those people and she was scared of what they might do to her if they found her. She could think a number of horrible things they could do. She knew she had to do something, she had to defend herself. While the red haired man kept searching on the poor sod, Moe slowly reached for the candlestick just beside her and carefully walked towards the busy man. She readied herself and held her weapon high up and smacked the poor lad on the head.

"AGH! BY THE..!" his head planted on the floor as he held it in agony.

The woodelf turned around to see the young lad in pain and a black haired young lass with funny clothes, aiming the candlestick at him.

"Stay back!" she exclaimed fiercely "I'm warning you! Don't come any...closer.." She locked eyes with the dashing stranger. He looked awfully familiar to her, like she has known or met him somewhere before, she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Something about him was trying to trigger a small part in her memory that long ago since she had forgotten. She tried to remember as hard as she can as she gazed deep into his crimson eyes. The elf was looking back at her, unsure of the whole situation. Something about the lass made him feel, strange, like there was some sort of connection between them. And then she suddenly remembers. She did know him, years ago, in fact they were once the same person.

* * *

**End of chapter 1**


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